Samsung's eco-friendly CES 2022 pledge: TVs, appliances will pack recycled materials by 2025

Samsung's eco-friendly CES 2022 pledge: TVs, appliances will pack recycled materials by 2025

This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon.

During CES 2022, Samsung is extending sustainability measures pioneered in its mobile and audio divisions to its appliances and TVs to make its products even more eco-friendly.

This includes expanding recycled plastics in products and packaging as well as teaming up with companies like Patagonia to reduce the impact of microplastics in the oceans and environment. It continues Samsung's broader efforts to make its devices and appliances more sustainable through conventional and sometimes experimental endeavors, from solar-powered TV remotes to a blockchain reforestation project also announced during CES 2022.

"Every year, Samsung sells half a billion devices," said JH Han, head of Samsung Electronics. He added that that size carries responsibility that any changes his company makes can cause ripples across the industry. "Millions of everyday changes can make a meaningful impact for our planet."

Samsung's sustainability pledges come at a time when climate change has become a key issue across many industries including politics, business and finance. Car companies have rapidly pledged moves to electric vehicles. Meanwhile, the tech industry has begun taking on e-waste, which is exacerbated by the constant upgrades of features and capabilities in its products.

Read more: Samsung's $899 portable projector turns any surface into a smart TV at CES 2022

To offset those impacts, companies like Microsoft, Google and Meta (née Facebook) have pledged to reduce, offset or even reverse carbon usage in their worldwide offices and data centers. Apple additionally has built recycling robots, designed to rescue and reuse parts from unfixable devices, rather than sending them to the landfill. It's also touted features like recycled materials for its MacBooks, iMacs and iPhones, while pushing its suppliers to adopt green technology as well.

For Samsung, these efforts are showing up in the products you buy as it increases the amount of recycled plastic in home appliances, as well as developing new product parts, like components for washing machine tubs recycled from lunchboxes and face mask straps. Additionally, Samsung said it plans for TVs and visual displays to contain 30 times more recycled plastics than those produced last year.

Read more: CES 2022: Samsung's Odyssey Ark looks too graceful for gaming

Samsung vacuums and air purifiers will soon arrive tucked in eco-packaging, or materials that had been previously used, which the company started doing with its phones and audio products. Samsung's even exploring ways to turn that packaging into tables or cat houses. Samsung also said at CES that it wants to push its TVs and phone chargers to operate at near zero power draw while on standby, so that they consume "almost no energy" when not being used.

To help guide the company on its eco-friendly path, Samsung is teaming up with outdoor outfitter Patagonia to refine production and reduce the impact of microplastics on the environment. Other partnerships will expand Samsung's SmartThings Energy to help consumers manage the energy use of their networked devices, and even switch to more cost-efficient energy providers. Ultimately, Samsung said it hopes to eliminate single-use plastic from its smartphone packaging by 2025. It also hopes by that time to get reused materials in all home appliances and mobile products as well. 

"We must build together for tomorrow," Samsung's Han said. "This is a future we must build together."

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TV Shopping? Consider buying a 2021 TV (and Save Money)

TV Shopping? Consider buying a 2021 TV (and Save Money)

What's happening

New 2022 TV models are now available, but plenty of 2021 TVs are still out there.

Why it matters

2022 TVs might be newer, but they're also more expensive and have similar features to the 2021 models. You'll save money right now by grabbing a 2021 unit. Or wait until the fall when 2022 TVs will be on sale.

If you're looking to get a new TV without breaking the bank, opting for last year's model or waiting a few months until prices drop on 2022 models are your best bets to get all the features you want while still saving money. That's because TVs are a mature technology, which means that new, groundbreaking features don't come out every single year. Changes are incremental, with new models adding only minor updates year-over-year. For example, a 2021 TV at a given size or price will generally have similar picture quality and features to its 2022 counterpart. There are still deals on 2021 TVs, which are significantly less expensive than the current models. 

When deciding which TV to buy and when, everyone should know about the annual television pricing cycle. It starts at CES, the huge tech show that happens every January, when new TVs (plus other tech like laptops and car technology) are announced each year. Later in the spring and summer -- basically now -- many of the new models are already on the shelves. But those new sets are at their highest prices of the year. During the fall, manufacturers start slashing prices to make way for next year's crop of new TVs. 

If you want the latest and greatest technology you're probably already set on a 2022 model and you'll certainly be able to save money on those in the fall. But if you're looking to get a new TV right now, scooping up a deal on a 2021 set is going to be the most affordable option. Just know that you'll probably have to jump on a bargain when you see them, as eventually manufacturers will sell out of their 2021 models.  

Read more: LG C1 vs. LG C2: Which OLED TV Should You Buy?

Sony and Samsung TVs with QD-OLED, a new technology promising better picture quality, are expensive and only available in 55- and 65-inch sizes.

Sony

If I buy a 2021 model now, what new features am I missing?

To put it succinctly, not too much. There's always something new around the corner, but changes from year-to-year are usually incremental. If you worry about missing out on the latest and greatest tech, it should give you peace of mind that even if something really new hits the market, it's going to be very expensive. 

New QD-OLED TVs from Samsung and Sony are a good example. They combine OLED displays with quantum dot technology, and claim higher brightness and better color compared to current OLED TVs. One of these new sets might sound enticing, but QD-OLEDs come with a premium price tag, so they might be tough to recommend over more-affordable OLEDs like the LG C2.

Read more: QD-OLED: Everything We Know About the Newest TV Tech From Samsung and Sony

In 2022, traditional OLED TVs are arriving in untraditional sizes. This year, LG introduced the 42-inch C2 Series TV, the smallest OLED on the market, while also laying claim to the largest OLED available with the 97-inch G2 TV.

New for 2022, LG's OLED C2 now comes in 42- and 97-inch sizes.

Richard Peterson/CNET

Mini-LED TVs are also on the rise and could deliver close-to-OLED picture quality, but the new models we know about so far will also be expensive. The Sony Z9K and X95K are the company's first models with mini-LED, and the TCL X925pro has a new kind of slimmer mini-LED backlight, but none of them will be cheap. Samsung, TCL and Vizio are expected to announce more TVs later this year, many of which will use mini-LED, but we doubt they'll offer huge improvements over the 2021 models.

Also rolling out across the country is NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0. This is free over-the-air 4K TV, and it's moving forward quite quickly -- it might already be available in your city. In 2022 we'll see more TVs with built-in tuners that cost less than ever. Don't feel you need to rush to upgrade, or get those specific models however, since in the worst case you'll be able to buy a cheap external tuner and connect that to your TV.

Read more: Gaming Modes, Webcams and QD-OLED: Which 2022 TV Trends Stand Out?

There's also HDMI 2.1. While 2.1 has several new technologies that are great, it's not going to make any current TVs obsolete (unless it's a current 8K TV, but that's yet another story). As long as your current TV works with your current sources, you should be fine. 

Really old TVs, older than 10 years, might have issues connecting to modern streaming and disc sources, but there's no real workaround for that. If your TV doesn't work with a new Roku or Blu-ray player, then you might need to upgrade if you want to use one of those.

Do I need to upgrade?

Forget all the new tech. If your TV works and you're happy with it, keep it. Don't feel any pressure to upgrade. 

Modern TVs are, on average, brighter and have better picture quality than the TVs from a few years ago. Unless you're the type of videophile who wants to tweak every setting and fixates on nits and color accuracy, however, you probably don't need a new TV.

The pressure to upgrade is pervasive in our tech culture, but TVs tend to last (and be perfectly functional) longer than most devices. They don't, for example, have batteries that lose capacity like mobile phones -- or have wires that wear out like headphones. A TV from five or even 10 years ago likely works fine, though it might not look as good as the current 4K HDR TVs. So again, if that's not a huge deal for you, you can likely keep what you have for a few more years. 

Read more: Best TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X, Series S

This is even true when considering new consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. If you've got a PS4, Xbox One or any console connected via HDMI, the new consoles should work fine. They might look better on a new TV, but they'll still look great on yours.

If your TV is having issues, or you just want something larger, that's a different story. New TVs are much cheaper per inch than TVs of the past. You'll be able to replace your current TV with something the same size, looks better and is cheaper than your old TV. Or you can pay the same amount as your old TV and get something that's far bigger.

When is the best time to buy a TV?

TV sales are the biggest in the fall and culminate on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There are always some incredibly cheap 4K TVs on offer, but that's not the whole story.

First of all, the TVs that get the huge discounts are usually either no-name brands, or low-end models from name brands. They're fine if you just want a cheap TV, but they're not going to offer the picture quality of an even slightly higher-end model. The best TVs go on sale as well, but deep discounts on those are less common. 

TV sales happen all year, but Black Friday season sees the biggest discounts.

Roberto Machado Noa/Getty Images

Second, massive discounts on TVs are rare in general. It might be counterintuitive, but TVs typically don't have much mark-up. There isn't a lot of profit in a $500 TV. So unless the store is trying to clear out stock, you shouldn't expect a gigantic drop in price even during sales. Plenty of good discounts are available, they're just not going to be "50% off" or similar, unless there's a specific reason that model is getting such an extreme discount. Or it's a doorbuster in limited quantities.

Third, most big companies don't allow stores to offer their own pricing. This is called UPP, or unilateral pricing policy. It means that a TV from that company is going to cost the same, whether it's on Amazon, in Best Buy, or anywhere else. Well, anywhere else that wants to continue selling TVs from that company. If this sounds sketchy, it is, but that's a topic for a different article. 

The Samsung Frame may look sophisticated, but your current TV might work just as well. 

Samsung

All in all, is it worth upgrading my TV?

Here's the short version:

Get a new TV now if:

• Your current TV is having issues, or is too old to connect to a streaming service like Netflix.
  
• You're willing to buy from a place that has a price-match policy, in case there's a sale.
  
• You want something bigger than what you have now.
  

Don't get a TV now if:

• Your current TV works fine.
  
• There's literally anything else you need or want to spend money on.
  

If you've got the itch for something new, but you're still on the fence, consider giving your TV a bit of a makeover. If you've never adjusted the settings, it's easy to do and will probably make your TV look better than it ever has. That might tide you over for a bit.

And if you finally decide that, yes, you're ready to buy a new TV now, we at CNET do have some guidelines and suggested models.

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As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff Morrison does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, airplane graveyards and more. 

You can follow his exploits on Instagram and his travel video series on YouTube. He also wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel.

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NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, is continuing its rapid rollout across the country. Major markets like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver, Houston and more all have stations transmitting. Meanwhile New York, Boston, and many other markets are slated to have broadcasts later this year. While not every station in every market has a NextGen TV counterpart, more and more are coming on the air.

What's NextGen TV? It's an update to the free HDTV you can already get over-the-air in nearly every city in the US. There's no monthly fee, but you do need either a new TV with a built-in tuner or a standalone external tuner. The standard allows broadcast stations to send higher quality signals than ever before with features like 4K, HDR, 120 Hz, and more. ATSC 3.0 proponents also claim better reception indoors and on-the-go -- whether it's on your phone, or even in your car. The best part is that if you're watching it on your TV it uses the same standard antennas available today.

One potential downside? ATSC 3.0 will also let broadcasters track your viewing habits, information that can be used for targeted advertising, just like companies such as Facebook and Google use today. 

Read more: Best TV antennas for cord cutters, starting at just $10

NextGen TV to you

ATSC.org

Here's the top-line info:

• If you get your TV from streaming, cable or satellite, NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 won't affect you at all. 
• The transition is voluntary. Stations don't have to switch. Many have already, however, for reasons we'll explain below.
• It's not backwards-compatible with the current HD standard (ATSC 1.0), so your current TV won't be able to receive it. Your current antenna should work fine though.
• Stations that switch to NextGen TV will still have to keep broadcasting ATSC 1.0 for five years.
• There are multiple models and sizes of TV with built-in tuners available now from Hisense, LG, Sony, Samsung and others.
• As of the beginning of 2022 the majority of the largest markets in the US have at least one channel broadcasting NextGen TV. By the end of 2022, nearly all major and many minor markets will have multiple channels .
  

Here's the map of actual stations as of January 2022. Orange denotes stations that are live now. Blue is launching before summer. White sometime after the summer.

ATSC

How it will work in your home

Put simply: If you connect an antenna to your TV you will receive free programming, just like most people can get now. Yet, that is selling the potential benefits of NextGen TV short. 

NextGen TV is IP-based, so in practice it can be moved around your home just like any internet content can right now. For example, you connect an antenna to a tuner box inside your home, but that box is not connected to your TV at all. Instead, it's connected to your router. This means anything with access to your network can have access to over-the-air TV, be it your TV, your phone, your tablet or even a streaming device like Apple TV. There will be traditional tuners as well, of course, but this is a new and interesting alternative.

This also means it's possible we'll see mobile devices with built-in tuners, so you can watch live TV while you're out and about, like you can with Netflix and YouTube now. How willing phone companies will be to put tuners in their phones remains to be seen, however. You don't see a lot of phones that can get radio broadcasts now, even though such a thing is easy to implement. We'll talk more about that in a moment.

'Voluntary'

In November of 2017, the Federal Communications Commission approved ATSC 3.0 as the next generation of broadcast standard, on a "voluntary, market-driven basis" (PDF). It also required stations to continue broadcasting ATSC 1.0 (i.e. "HD"). This is actually part of the issue as to why it's voluntary. 

During the mandatory DTV transition in the early 2000s, stations in a city were given a new frequency (channel, in other words), to broadcast digital TV, while they still broadcast analog on their old channel. These older channels were eventually reclaimed by the FCC for other uses when the proverbial switch was flipped to turn off analog broadcasts. Since a changeover isn't occurring this time around, stations and markets are left to themselves how best to share or use the over-the-air spectrum in their areas.

Because there's no new bandwidth, broadcasters will temporarily share transmitters. Two or more stations will use one tower for ATSC 1.0 (HD) broadcasts and those stations will use another tower for ATSC 3.0 (UHD) broadcasts. This will mean a temporary reduction in bandwidth for each channel, but potentially a limited impact on picture quality due to the better modern HD encoders. More info here.

ATSC/TVTechnology.com

While it's not a mandatory standard, many broadcasters still seem enthusiastic about NextGen. At the beginning of the roll-out, then executive vice president of communications at the National Association of Broadcasters Dennis Wharton told CNET that the improvement in quality, overall coverage and the built-in safety features mean that most stations would be enthusiastic to offer ATSC 3.0.

John Hane, president of the Spectrum Consortium (an industry group with broadcasters Sinclair, Nexstar and Univision as members), was equally confident: "The FCC had to make it voluntary because the FCC couldn't provide transition channels. [The industry] asked the FCC to make it voluntary. We want the market to manage it. We knew the market would demand it, and broadcasters and hardware makers in fact are embracing it."

Given the competition broadcasters have with cable, streaming and so on, 3.0 could be a way to stabilize or even increase their income by offering better picture quality, better coverage and, most importantly, targeted ads.

Ah yes, targeted ads…

Broadcast TV will know what you're watching

One of NextGen TV's more controversial features is a "return data path," which is a way for the station you're watching to know you're watching. Not only does this allow a more accurate count of who's watching what shows, but it creates the opportunity for every marketer's dream: targeted advertising. 

Ads specific to your viewing habits, income level and even ethnicity (presumed by your neighborhood, for example) could get slotted in by your local station. This is something brand-new for broadcast TV. Today, over-the-air broadcasts are pretty much the only way to watch television that doesn't track your viewing habits. Sure, the return data path could also allow "alternative audio tracks and interactive elements," but it's the targeted ads and tracking many observers are worried about.

The finer details are all still being worked out, but here's the thing: If your TV is connected to the internet, it's already tracking you. Pretty much every app, streaming service, smart TV and cable or satellite box all track your usage to a greater or lesser extent.

Return data path is still in the planning stages, even as the other aspects of NextGen TV are already going live. There is a silver lining: There will be an opt-out option. While it also requires Internet access, if this type of thing bothers you, just don't connect your TV or NextGen TV receiver to the internet. You will inevitably lose some of the other features of NextGen TV, however.

That said, we'll keep an eye on this for any further developments.   

Free TV on your phone?

Another point of potential contention is getting ATSC 3.0 tuners into phones. At a most basic level, carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are in the business of selling you data. If suddenly you can get lots of high-quality content for free on your phone, they potentially lose money. Ever wonder why your phone doesn't have an FM radio tuner? Same reason.

T-Mobile made a preemptive strike along those lines all the way back in September 2017, writing a white paper (PDF) that, among other things, claims, "In light of the detrimental effects that inclusion of ATSC 3.0 can have on the cost and size of a device, the technology trade-offs required to accommodate competing technologies, and the reduced performance and spectral efficiency that it will have for other mobile bands and services, the decision as to whether to include ATSC 3.0 in a device must be left to the market to decide."

"The market" determined you didn't need an FM tuner in your phone, and in the few phones that had an FM tuner, if you bought it through an American provider, it was almost always disabled.

TV broadcasters, on the other hand, are huge fans of ATSC 3.0 on mobile phones. It means more potential eyeballs and, incidentally, a guarantee of active internet access for that return data path. John Hane of the Spectrum Consortium feels that tuners built into phones is "inevitable," and that international adoption of ATSC 3.0 will help push it forward. Wharton says that the focus is getting TVs to work, but mobile is in the plan.

Then there's portable TVs, of which there are HD versions on the market and have been for years. The next-generation ATSC 3.0 versions of these will likely get better reception in addition to the higher resolution offered by the new standard.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Cost (for you)

NextGen TV is not backward compatible with current TV tuners. To get it, you'll eventually need either a new TV or an external tuner. 

However, you shouldn't feel a push to upgrade since:

1. NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 isn't mandatory, and it doesn't affect cable, satellite or streaming TV.

2. HD tuners cost as little as $30 to $40 now, and NextGen TV tuners, which currently sell between $200 and $300, will eventually be cheap as well.  

3. Even after they start NextGen broadcasts, stations will have to keep broadcasting regular old HD. 

Here's the actual language:

"The programming aired on the ATSC 1.0 simulcast channel must be 'substantially similar' to the programming aired on the 3.0 channel. This means that the programming must be the same, except for programming features that are based on the enhanced capabilities of ATSC 3.0, advertisements and promotions for upcoming programs. The substantially similar requirement will sunset in five years from its effective date absent further action by the Commission to extend it."

In other words, the HD broadcast has to be essentially the same as the new 3.0 broadcast for five years, perhaps longer depending on future FCC actions.

Which brings us to point 3. By the time people had to buy them, HD tuners were inexpensive and are even more so now. The HD tuner I use is currently $26 on Amazon. The first generation NextGen tuners available now are more expensive than that, though they're not outrageous. We'll discuss those below. By the time anyone actually requires one, however, they'll almost certainly be affordable.

Which is good, because there aren't any planned subsidies this time around for people to get a tuner for cheap. I'm sure this is at least partly due to how few people actually still use OTA as their sole form of TV reception. Maybe this will change as more stations convert, but we're a ways away from that.

As you can see, there are lots of parts that need to get upgraded all along the chain before you can get 3.0 in your home.

ATSC/TVTechnology.com

Here's another way to think about it: The first HD broadcasts began in the mid-90s, but when did you buy your first HDTV? As far as the 3.0 transition is concerned we're in the late-90s, maybe generously the early 2000s, now. Things seem like they're moving at a much more rapid pace than the transition from analog to DTV/HDTV, but even so, it will be a long time before ATSC 3.0 completely replaces the current standard.

How to get NextGen right now

LG

If you want to check it out for yourself, many of you already can. The first stop is to go to WatchNextGenTV.com. That website will help you find what stations in your area are broadcasting, or which ones will soon. 

Next up you'll need something to receive it. If you're in the market for a new TV there are several options available from Hisense, LG, Samsung, and Sony. Here's our list of all the 2022 TVs with built-in next-gen tuners.

If you want to check out NextGen TV without buying a new television, you'll need an external tuner. It's still early days, so there aren't many options. 

The Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI DVR

Nuvvyo

At CES 2022 Nuvvyo announced the Tablo, a quad-tuner box that can connect to a TV directly, or transmit over a network to Rokus, Apple TVs, or computers on your home network.  

The Silicon Dust has two models, the $199 HomeRun Flex 4K and the $279 HomeRun Scribe 4K. Both have ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 tuners.  

If you want a more traditional tuner, BitRouter plans to start shipping its first ZapperBox M1 tuners in the spring. You can reserve one now for $249. It doesn't have internal storage, but BitRouter plans to add the ability to save content on network-attached storage, or NAS, devices via a firmware update. They also plan to add the ability to send the content around your home network, like what the Scribe 4K does.

Zapperbox

Then there's what to watch. Being early in the process, you're not going to find much 4K content, possibly not any. This was the same with the early years of HDTV. It's also going to vary per area. There is certainly a lot of 4K content being produced right now, and that has been the case for several years. So in that way, we're in better shape than we were in the early days of HD. 

Basic and paid cable channels over-the-air?

One company is using the bandwidth and IP nature of NextGen to do something a little different. It's a hybrid paid TV service, sort of like cable/satellite, but using over-the-air broadcasts to deliver the content. It's called Evoca, and right now it's available only in Boise, Idaho. Edge Networks is the company behind it, and it wants to roll it out to other small markets where cable offerings are limited, and broadband speeds are slow or expensive. 

It's an interesting idea for underserved and often forgotten-about markets. 

Read more: Cable TV channels and 4K from an antenna?

Seeing the future

The transition from analog broadcasting to HD, if you count from the formation of the Grand Alliance to the final analog broadcast, took 16 years. 

Though many aspects of technology move rapidly, getting dozens of companies, plus the governments of the US and many other countries, all to agree to specific standards, takes time. So does the testing of the new tech. There are a lot of cogs and sprockets that have to align for this to work, and it would be a lot harder to fix once it's all live.

But technology moves faster and faster. It's highly doubtful it will take 16 years to fully implement NextGen TV. As we mentioned at the top, dozens of stations are already broadcasting. Will every station in your city switch to NextGen TV? Probably not, but the bigger ones likely will. This is especially true if there are already other NextGen TV stations in your area. There's a potential here for stations to make additional money in the long run with 3.0, and that's obviously a big motivator.

There's also the question of how much content there will be. If it follows the HDTV transition model, big sporting events in 4K HDR will come first, followed by lots and lots of shows featuring nature scenes and closeups of bugs. Seriously -- this was totally a thing. Then we'll see a handful of scripted prime-time shows. My guess would be the popular, solidly profitable ones that are produced (not just aired) by networks like CBS and NBC.

So should you hold off buying a new TV? Nope, not unless you only get your shows over the air. And even if you do, by the time there's enough content to be interesting, there will be cheap tuner boxes you can connect to whatever TV you have. 

For now, NextGen TV seems to be well on its way.

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As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000 mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

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Best High-Tech Ski Gear for 2022

Best High-Tech Ski Gear for 2022

Few sports have cooler gadgets and tech than skiing and snowboarding. And there's such a wide range of equipment as well. A lot of it can enhance your experience or make recovery quicker and more efficient. The best skiing and snowboarding gadgets can make you feel like James Bond, bombing down the slopes as you're (not) being chased by your nemesis's henchmen. To help you spend more time bombing down slopes, we've collected the best high-tech ski gear on the market right now and compiled it for you below. From action cameras like a GoPro to new goggles and more, there's something for everyone.

Much of the gear here is battery-powered, including the top GoPros and other action games, as well as some ski-friendly earbuds and helmet speakers. But not everything has a power component to it. In some cases, I've included items with high-tech materials, cutting-edge designs or basic protection for iPhones and Android devices. There are also several helmets and ski goggles in the mix.

I'll add more top ski gear products to this list as I find them.

Josh Goldman/CNET

At the moment, the GoPro Hero10 is the best single-lens action camera you can get from GoPro. It's not a big upgrade over the GoProHero 9, which is available for a little less, but it has a new GP2 chip that allows high resolutions at higher frame rates -- up to 5.3K (5,312 x2,988 pixels) at 30 or 60 frames per second. It also has HyperSmooth 4.0, GoPro's highest level of image stabilization.

As with the Hero 9 Black, pricing is a little confusing for the Hero 10 Black. The camera is $550, which is more costly than the Hero 9's starting price. However, if you buy directly from GoPro.com and sign up for the GoPro subscription service -- which is included with the camera -- GoPro knocks $200 off, so it's $350 (a year of the service, which costs $50 a year or $5 a month, is included for free).

The subscription service gives you unlimited cloud backups at original quality, damaged camera replacement, discounts on GoPro accessories and gear and access to GoPro's premium live streaming platform.

Read our GoPro Hero 10 Black review.

David Carnoy/CNET

360 cams capture everything in a sphere around the camera, then later you can decide what you want to show -- and exactly how it's shown. For this type of camera, a lot of people like the GoPro Max, which is selling for around $430, but Insta360's One X2 is also impressive and some people prefer it to the GoPro.

Insta360 sells the newer and more affordable Go 2 ($300) and the earlier One R. The Snow Bundle includes a variety of mounts and accessories, everything from a chest mount to GoPro-style helmet mounts along with a pole mount. 

We have a couple of videos to give you an idea of the kind of footage Insta360 cams can produce. Former CNET Senior Video Producer Nic Henry reviewed both the Go 2 (you can find the video here) and the One X2 (you can find that video here).

Read more: Insta360 Go 2 hands-on

Joshua Goldman/CNET

We could have put the GoPro Hero 9 Black on this list. It costs $50 less than the Hero 10 Black, but the truth is, if you're considering the Hero 9, you might as well get the Hero 10. However, If you can do without that top-end resolution and front-facing screen, the older Hero 8 offers a decent amount of savings and remains a good choice. It still does 4K video at 60 fps, so it's no slouch and has come down from its original list price of $350 (it's now around $280). It was a CNET Editors' Choice Award winner two years ago.

Read more: Best action cams

David Carnoy/CNET

The Aleck 006 earpieces slip into your helmet and can be used as wireless headphones for listening to music or as a headset for making calls. They offer decent sound but what makes them even more useful is if you link multiple Aleck 006 together and set up what amounts to a walkie-talkie system among friends or family members.

With real-time GPS tracking in the Aleck Go app for iOS and Android, you can also map the location of everyone in your party.

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Helly Hansen's flagship $750 Elevation Infinity 2.0 technical shell jacket features the company's LIFA Infinity Pro technology, its new waterproof, windproof yet breathable material that it says is the "first to-market to be made entirely without added chemicals." Typically, waterproof jackets are chemically treated, but Helly Hansen says the Infinity's "everlasting water-repellent protection never needs to be reproofed with chemical treatment after use."

For a shell jacket it offers good flexibility and doesn't feel stiff. While it has a three-layer fabric construction and offers some warmth, it's not insulated so in very cold conditions you'd need to wear another jacket underneath it, like the Odin Lifaloft Hybrid ($400).

The Elevation Infinity 2.0 is available at Backcountry and comes in black, gray fog and orange (pictured) and, like other premium Helly ski jackets, also features its Life Pocket Plus, which uses Aerogel insulation to help keep your phone from getting too cold, thus preserving its battery.

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Helmets with integrated lens shields or goggles have become popular in Europe in recent years, and Giro makes one of the best ones with its Orbit helmet that also comes in a version for women called the Aria (it looks very similar but has different colored trim elements). While these types of helmets tend to be expensive, they're good for people who wear glasses or just like the convenience of eye protection integrated into a helmet design -- you can rotate the articulating "shield" up onto the helmet or tilt it down over your face. It's also worth noting that the large Vivid lens (with optics by Zeiss) provides a very wide field of view. 

Unlike some shields that have an open design at the bottom, this one has a foam liner and is designed to sit on your face like goggles, though the seal isn't quite as tight as a typical pair of goggles. There's good ventilation and the helmet is very comfortable to wear, with a Polartec "Power Grid" padded lining that helps with moisture management. Like many of Giro's helmets, this one also incorporates the company's custom Spherical MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection) technology. 

The included lens shield is designed to work well in a variety of conditions (it is replaceable for $125). It does a very good job staying fog-free on nonstorm days, but I can't guarantee that it won't fog at times on big snow days, which can be challenging for most goggles (particularly if you wear glasses or prescription lens inserts with your goggles). That said, it's an excellent helmet overall.

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The Marauder Elite is Spy's latest and greatest model of goggles that features 60% more venting over the similarly styled Spy Ace goggles (another highly vented model). That makes it "nearly impossible to fog," according to the company. They didn't fog on me during my limited testing, but I still need to put them through a wider variety of conditions to confirm that.

The goggles' lenses adhere magnetically and can be easily swapped out (two lenses are included). These are over-the-glasses, or OTG-type, that are suitable for use with RX eyeglasses and have subtle notches in the temples to allow your glasses to fit better. Like Spy's other premium goggles, these feature the company's Happy lens tech, which it says is "scientifically tuned to boost mood and alertness while optimizing color and contrast."

They're a nice pair of goggles and although they're expensive, Spy has been having trouble keeping them in stock.

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When your phone gets too cold its battery drains faster, and if it's really cold, it might shut off. That's where the Phoozy comes in.

A simple sleeve or "capsule" for smartphones, the Phoozy has a Chromium Thermal Barrier Shell and SpaceTech Penetration Layer, as well as a bit of velcro to keep it closed at the top. That will help keep your phone warm on extra cold days and help preserve battery life. It will also keep your phone from overheating.

Phoozy pouches now come in a few different versions and sizes and start at $30. Just make sure to get one that's big enough to hold your phone.

Atomic

Atomic's new Redster CTD helmet is pricey but has some cool features that may someday find their way into more helmets. Inspired by Atomic's pro racing helmets, this model has sensors that assess any damage after the helmet takes a hit. You get a report on your helmet's condition via the Atomic Shocksense app for iOS and Android. Also, if you slam into something hard enough and the helmet takes heavy damage, it will automatically send SOS alerts out to your emergency contacts. 

As far as protection goes, it's serious. Atomic says the Redster CTD's Atomic Multi-directional Impact Deflector (AMID) dual-density foam system absorbs shock from all angles to deliver 30% higher impact protection than International Ski Federation standards require. It's available in black, red and white.

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These glove liners are equipped with Seirus' Kinetic heat return system that it says amplifies your body heat 4 to 5 degrees and reflects it back to you for 20% more warmth. Of course, how warm your hands are will also depend on how warm the gloves are that go over these (they can be used as stand-alone gloves, but more for running in cold weather than skiing).

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After a day of shredding, your body will certainly appreciate a little percussion massage gun action. There are plenty of options available but we like the travel-friendly Theragun Mini because it won't weigh your luggage down too much and is a great little massage gun for $199 that's surprisingly powerful for its size.

Like the other new Theragun models, the Mini is equipped with Quiet Force technology that allows the device to run just as powerfully but much more quietly than the previous generation of Theraguns. The Theragun Mini has three speed settings, ranging from 1,750 rpm to 2,400 rpm, and the battery lasts for 150 minutes of continuous use. 

The one notable downside to the Theragun Mini is that it only comes with one attachment, the standard ball head. You could buy other Theragun attachments a la carte because the Mini is compatible with all the same attachments that come with other models, but that brings the price up.

Florian Breitenberger

Private lessons have gotten really expensive, so why not get a virtual one?

Carv is a digital ski coach that combines some hardware that you attach to your boots with an iOS app (Android coming soon) that delivers real-time feedback about how you're skiing.

I'm still waiting to try this out but have had friends use it and really like it. The software was updated to version 2.0 with some small hardware enhancements, including a more compact battery with the same battery life.

For better or worse (probably worse), Carv has moved toward a subscription model that makes the hardware less expensive (the original kit is now $149 instead of $349), but requires you to purchase an add-on subscription for $199 a year or $298 for a two-year plan. That's still a lot less than what a single full-day private lesson would cost you at most resorts -- at least in the US.

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If you don't want to pay upward of $200 for a set of Smith I/O goggles, there are plenty of more affordable alternatives, including those from Colorado-based Glade, which prides itself on making goggles that offer similar or better performance than high-end models from other companies for a lot less.

The big deal is its Adapt goggles include a Photochromic Flux lens for $129. This is a lens that changes colors according to the lighting conditions you experience. In other words, it's the chameleon of lenses, and typically photochromatic goggles cost a lot more.

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The Smith 4D MAG googles are the company's current top-of-the-line model and have seen a price increase from $280 to $320. They feature a wider field of view (25% wider than the I/O Mag, according to Smith) and a 5x antifog inner lens with AirEvac Integration Technology that helps reduce fogging. Changing the lenses is easy with the MAG system. Two levers release the lens, which adheres magnetically to the goggles. One low-light and one bright-light lens are included.

Sarah Tew/CNET

If you wear glasses, the $270 I/O MAG XL goggles are a good choice, albeit a fairly expensive one.

The MAG XL is Smith's MAG lens change system featuring -- you guessed it -- magnets that let you easily swap out lenses, as well as a 5x antifog inner lens with AirEvac Integration Technology that helps reduce fogging. They come with two lenses.

The Smith I/O MAG XL goggles come in several different ChromoPop lens colors.

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Seirus' flagship HeatTouch Hellfire gloves are available for $450 for men or women. The gloves haven't changed for a few years, but the battery was upgraded last year to a more slimmed-down version with increased battery life.

At the low-heat setting you can get up to 12 hours of battery life, with medium pegged at around 8 hours and high at 4 hours.

It's also available in a mitten for $450.

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In the past, I've highlighted Smith's Vantage helmet, which has a visor. The Code is more oriented toward snowboarders and free riders, but a lot of mainstream skiers like its streamlined look.

Smith didn't change anything in this year's model from last year's -- except for the color options. It packs in most of Smith's latest technologies. On the inside, instead of hard foam you'll find Koroyd inserts that, from the top, look like a honeycomb with circular (not hexagonal) cylinders. The high-tech material is made of lightweight, eco-friendly polymer extruded tubes that are thermally welded together to form a strong layer of protection that also allows for good airflow. (Smith has added other materials and design elements to the helmet and is calling the whole protection package Aerocore construction.)

Beyond the fancy padding, there's the BOA FS360 fit system (with a 360-degree halo design), which helps you get a snug, "custom" fit. And new this year: a Wayfinder strap system featuring Fidlock that's basically a quick-release magnetic system that makes it easier to open and close the strap.

The helmet only comes in a MIPS version, which offers increased protection. In a MIPS Brain Protection System, the shell and liner are separated by a low-friction layer that "allows the helmet to slide relative to the head."

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Giro says the "modern profile" of its Jackson helmet, which comes in multiple color options, utilizes the new Passive Aggressive Venting system that's "inspired by the aerodynamic airflow of high-end autos." Well, it's a good looking helmet and also pretty lightweight and comfortable while offering MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection) technology. 

It doesn't have the company's upgraded Spherical MIPS technology found in its Emerge helmet ($150), this model has Giro's Form 2 Fit system that allows you to dial in the fit of the helmet (it's similar to Smith's dial-in fit), which allowed me to get a more snug fit. The Emerge uses the company's Stash Fit system that allows you to remove or add layers of padding to customize your fit.

Both the Emerge and the Jackson are designed for maximum compatibility with Giro goggles but they work just fine with other goggles. 

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Giro makes a couple of goggles in the $150 range, including the Method and Article. It describes the Method as having a "bold retro style" that's been advanced with "the most modern technology." It's a comfortable goggle with a wide field of view and good venting that helps keep the goggles fog-free in most conditions (I haven't met a goggle that's truly fog-free in all conditions).

Like the more rounded Article goggles ($170), the Method uses Giro's Vivid lens with optics by Zeiss and a second lens is included. The Method is available in a few different color options. 

Beringia

If you're looking for the ultimate Merino wool base layers, these tops and bottoms from Beringia may just be it. Diomede is Beringia's proprietary fabric "that seamlessly knits multiple layers of fabric into one ultrastretchy waffle." Real-world translation: The fabric is thin, lightweight and comfortable but also warm. The only downside is that tops ($150) and bottoms ($175) are quite expensive and there's no deal if you buy both together, although you can get 15% off with your first purchase.

Beringia Diomede base layers are available in a few color options and three sizes, as well as women's versions. The top also comes with a snorkel hoodie for $25 more. 

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Constructed from Grilamid, a lightweight but very durable frame material, the Spy Helm Tech sunglasses are a modern take on glacier sunglasses that includes removable side shields so you can block both the sun and all the "haters" at the same time, according to the company (they turn into standard wayfarer sunglasses without the side shields).

The sunglasses have hidden sweat channels in both the nose pads and inner temples for breathability and feature the company's Happy Tech lens tech that it says is "scientifically tuned to boost mood and alertness while enhancing color and contrast."

True or not, I will say they fit comfortably, the optics were very good and I was indeed happy using them.

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Most new phones, including the iPhone 13 models, offer a decent level of water resistance. But if you want some added protection, Lifeproof still sells its waterproof and shockproof Fre case -- and the latest version is built for MagSafe accessories. 

The Fre case is also available for some Samsung Galaxy models but that version doesn't feature MagSafe, a feature that adds $10 to the case.

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You don't want your phone to go dead on the mountain, so it's always good to pack a battery pack.

MyCharge calls its new line of magnetic power banks Superhero Mag-Lock, implying that they're real saviors. I was impressed by their design. Not only do the batteries, which come in various capacities, have strong magnets and stick really well to the back of your iPhone 12 or 13, but they have raised coils, which are supposed to help with reducing heat levels while charging. It does seem to work.

The 3,000-mAh battery is lightweight and slim and is nice to have around for some emergency charging. However, it won't get you a full charge, so you'll probably want to step up to one of the higher-capacity options like the 6,000-mAh model that retails for $60 but is currently being discounted to $36. The 9,000-mAh version is beefy and feels like your phone is attached to a small brick (the battery and phone do fit in your hand nicely but the combo certainly isn't pocket-friendly).

All the Mag-Lock batteries charge Qi-enabled iPhones at 5W, although you can get faster charging if you go wired and use a USB-C to Lightning cable. I also liked how there's a chime when the charging starts and your phone tells you how much juice is left in the battery pack (it's tied into iOS 15). You can wirelessly charge Android devices as well, but the Mag-Lock won't stick unless you have a metal ring on the back of your phone's case. Stick-on rings are available for sale.

The MyCharge SuperHero Mag-Lock is available in a few color options and has a nice glossy finish. It currently is the best-designed magnetic power bank -- better even than Apple's.

Ibex

Ibex, which is known for its high-tech merino wool garments, describes its Wool Aire Hoodie as having "backcountry performance with frontcountry style." Available in a few colors and both men's and women's options, it's a puffy jacket that's not all that puffy but is lightweight, comfortable (it has some stretch to it) and can be used as either a midlayer on cold days or outer layer on not-so-cold days.

It's constructed of eco-friendly Bluesign-certified materials and is wind- and water-resistant. Also worth noting: It packs up into its chest pocket, which makes it travel-friendly.

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Bollé's Torus goggles come in a version with a standard lens for around $120 (or less), but I tried the step-up version with the company's high-contrast Volt lens, which is harder to find in stock. You get one lens with these goggles, but the Ice Blue Cat 3 lens (with a pink base tint) offers some flexibility in terms of what lighting conditions you can use it with. The goggles offer a wide field of view and good ventilation. 

Amazon

Biolite has a new line of portable batteries that offer USB-C PD fast-charging (up to 18W) along with two additional USB-A ports so you can charge a couple of phones at the same time, albeit at slower speeds. There are three sizes available -- 6,000-mAh, 10,000-mAh and 20,000-mAh -- but the 6,000-mAh version (pictured on right) is probably best for skiers because it's slim, relatively lightweight and fits easily in a pocket. To charge iPhones at 18W speeds, you'll need to bring your own USB-C-to-Lightning cable to the charging party (the latest iPhones include that cable). 

Although Biolite says its powerbanks are "durable," they don't have a water-resistance rating. That said, they should survive a drop in the snow just fine.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Zeal goggles have excellent optics and a wide field of view, and many feature the company's Rail Lock System that makes the lenses easy to change and the goggles easy to vent when you're in hiking mode.

The base models with standard lenses are pretty affordable, ranging from $129 to $159. Things get more expensive when you move to the Automatic Plus GB lens, which is photochromic and changes quickly with the lighting and works in any conditions. Add that Automatic Plus lens and the price goes up to $279.

I like the Portal XL (on right), which also starts at $249 for the standard two-lens option. It has the widest field of view and is an OTG type that allows you to wear glasses.

The Hemisphere, starting at $129, has a spherical frame with upper and lower ventilation and triple-layer face foam and is available in a variety of lens options. It doesn't have the RLS system, but the lens quality is quite good for the price.

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The Jaybird Vista 2 sports buds feature a similar design to the original Vista buds but have a couple of key upgrades: active noise canceling and a transparency mode called SurroundSense that allows you to hear the outside world, an important safety feature for skiers as well as runners and bikers. 

The Vista 2 buds have an IPX68 water resistance rating, which means they're both dust-proof and fully waterproof. Jaybird says they're also sweat-proof, crush-proof and drop-proof. And the compact case is now splash-proof and dust-resistant, with an IP54 rating.

They sound quite good once you tweak the EQ settings to your liking, but in sound quality they're not quite up to the level of some other premium earbuds. Their noise-canceling, transparency mode and voice calling are decent though unspectacular (the Beats Fit Pro performs better in all departments). But if you're buying these, you're buying them for the secure fit and durability.

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This is Smith's goggles-sunglasses hybrid, the Wildcat ($200). Constructed with the same materials used in Smith goggles, the Wildcat glasses provide lots of eye coverage and good airflow but have the comfort of a more lightweight pair of sunglasses. The Wildcat sunglasses come with a bright-light ChromaPop lens and a secondary clear lens for flat-light overcast days and are available in three color options.

Amazon

This product comes at the recommendation of CNET editor Justin Jaffe, who lives in New England. He writes:

"As Covid surged again this winter, I've taken up alpine touring: skinning up a mountain and skiing down. The benefits are considerable -- you can often get by without a lift pass and it delivers a much more rewarding cardio workout than pure downhill skiing. This highly adjustable USWE backpack has become an essential tool for me, providing the right amount of space for gear as well as an insulated water bladder that has never once frozen up. And there is a strap and pocket for everything, from goggles to helmet to skis. Highly recommended."

Sarah Tew/CNET

You'd think that more companies would have made Bluetooth headphones that slip inside your helmet, but Outdoor Technology is one of the few that does (some Chinese companies like Outdoor Master have gotten in on the game in the last couple of years). Their appeal has waned now that true wireless earbuds have come along, but they're still available at a discounted price, around $90.

How it works is you charge up the Chips and slide them into the earflaps on your helmet (they should work with most helmets). You want to make sure that no excess padding in your helmet is covering the Chips or else they'll get muffled and you'll lose some volume; you want them as close to your ears as possible.

The Chips 2.0 have a walkie-talkie feature that allows you to communicate with friends who are also using Chips 2.0 headphones. You create a group using the ODT Walkie-Talkie app and talk over the cell network, which means the only limit on distance is whether you're getting a phone signal. Up to 99 people can be in your private group.

I thought the sound quality was decent for Bluetooth but not great. That said, it's nice to be able to stick your helmet on and have the headphones built in with no wires to worry about. Battery life is rated at 10 hours, and the Chips are sweat- and water-resistant but not waterproof.

Outdoor Technology also sells the Chips Ultra, a true-wireless version of the Chips that costs significantly more (about $163). I don't think the Ultras are worth the money.

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You never know when you might need to hang up some gear, which is where the Heroclip comes in. Available in a few different sizes and colors, this souped-up rotating carabiner hook clip costs around $23.

Garmin

The original Garmin inReach Mini has been one of the more popular satellite communication devices with backcountry skiers. The new inReach Mini 2 has the same compact, lightweight form factor but adds additional features, including a more energy-efficient processor that greatly improves battery life (now up to 14 days of battery life, using default 10-minute tracking, and your location is sent to your MapShare page for friends and family to view), a higher resolution display and user interface, as well as compatibility with Garmin's Explore app and some new navigation features.

Garmin says that while most users will interact via their phones or paired Garmin devices, you can still send a check-in, read incoming messages, and reply with either a pre-canned QuickText or write a custom message from the device itself. 

You do need an active satellite subscription to use the inReach Mini 2 with basic annual plans starting at $11.95 a month or $14.95 for a single month subscription. 

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